Welcome to the Bridge - Monthly Newsletter of Grand Island Vineyards | |
For more than 50 years our family has tended our vineyards and grown our own grapes for our wines, along the lush banks of the Sacramento River, striving to perfect the art and science of grape growing.
Today, we’re proud to share the rewards of our labor by creating wines that showcase our distinctive grapes perfectly.
Bridging all aspects of our Winery from the Vineyard, to the Cellar, Winery Grounds, Tasting Room and beyond. Our ongoing newsletter is an ideal way to stay up to date with all aspects of the Winery and our newest wine releases!
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LODI RULES EXPLAINER VIDEO
Happy Earth Day, check out this LODI RULES explainer video on YouTube as they explain what sustainability means and what to look for when purchasing wine in way of certification.
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Written by Operations Manager, Joe Salman
This time of the year it's hard to tell you what's happening in the vineyard. Mainly because there is just SO MUCH happening!
First I want to try to show you the growth of this Petit Verdot vine just outside the winery, showing it just popping out on Apr 4th and then a huge vine at the end of April!
Second, we spend a good amount of time shoot thinning at this time of year. I have written before on this topic, but it is a key component to assure wine quality down the line.
The before and after of these vines are dramatic, many useless shoots along some with flower clusters were dropped on the ground seeming like a waste of potential fruit at harvest, but as noted before very important, yet time consuming.
The great part of GRAND ISLAND VINEYARDS is all this is visible for you to come down and see and enjoy all what we have to offer here. Vineyards, Winery, Tastings, Relaxed Setting, Excellent Staff and why aren't you in the car yet?
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Written by Tasting Room Manager, Tess Jonson
Another month has come and gone and it’s time for the choose your own event, again! Always so well attended! We just charged for the next wine club and that means it will be a busy weekend! Make sure to RSVP for your one hour choose your own tasting flight.
Wine pick-up parties are back! Join us May 15th from 3:30-6:30pm for a party GIV style. Live music by Fish ‘N’ Chicks and the very popular food truck Hefty Gyro. The food truck will be arriving early, 12 noon, for all guests to enjoy. Leave those picnics at home and let someone else do the work.
Please RSVP for your table of 6 or less.
GIV now offers a wide variety of snacks so if you forgot that picnic or just don’t feel like packing one, we got you covered. We have crackers, nuts, cheese spreads, chocolates and more!
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Written by Winemaker, Ed Seikel
Our first bottling of the year is complete, so now is a great time to give a sneak peek at some of the wines that will be making their way to the tasting room throughout the year.
David's Wine Spotlight below gives a great introduction to two of our newly bottled wines; the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc and 2020 Vin Gris of Cabernet Sauvignon. Both should be coming soon, along with the first of two new wines coming this year, the 2020 Gewurztraminer!
There's also our 2020 Rouge et Blanc, our take on a Salman family tradition of blending together Cabernet Franc and Symphony to create an approachable and unique table wine. And Pinot Noir will be making a return to the Grand Island Vineyards label with the 2019 Vintage.
Last, but certainly not least, we have one other new wine we're excited to bring you! We will certainly be talking about it more as it gets closer to its release, but for now I can say it is a delicious tawny style dessert wine with a very striking new label that we think will be a ROARing success!
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Written by Winemaker, David Shattuck
May marks one of our fist events in more than a year and Ed and I are very excited to be featuring 5 wines for the event. Each of these wines is special and I will be covering each of them in depth below. However, first we want to thank all of our customers that have stuck with us through the last year and we are excited for you to taste some of our new wines.
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2018 Salman Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The first wine we are featuring in may is the 2018 Salman Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. For those of you who have had The Premier, one of the components that make that wine so special is a small block of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2018, we had ideal growing conditions and the Cabernet Sauvignon from that block was exceptional.
We chose to bottle it on its own after 2 years in 100% new french oak barrels and another 9 months of bottle aging. The wine pours an inky purple. The first aromas are of cassis, scorched earth, and char. As the wine opens, the aromas become more complex with wisps of cherry, blackberry, clove, and angelica. The wine is structurally dense with luscious mouthfeel and supple tannins. We recommend buying a few of these bottles and opening them regularly, as they will continue to age and get more enjoyable over the next ten years.
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2018 Salman Family Reserve Chenin Blanc.
The next wine we are featuring this month is the 2018 Salman Family Reserve Chenin Blanc. We love this wine because it is a style of white wine not normally found in California.
We make this Chenin in an oxidative style that allows the wine to gain added complexity through wild ferment, oxygen contact, and barrel aging.
The wine features more honey, brioche, and spice character than our stainless steel chenin and will continue to evolve for years.
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2020 Sauvignon Blanc
On the opposite side of the spectrum for a white wine, we are pleased to release the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc.
This crisp white wine pours a pale straw color. The initial aromas are of grapefruit, passionfruit and pithe.
The acidity is racy with a hint of grip that propels the wine into a mouthwatering finish featuring stone fruit and crushed granite essence.
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2020 GIV Vin Gris of Cabernet Sauvignon
We are also very excited to be releasing the follow-up to our popular 2020 GIV Vin Gris of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2020 Vin Gris pours a pale pink color. The initial aromas are of cherry, watermelon, and orange zest. The varietal character of cabernet begins to come through as the wine opens and hints black cherry, pepper, and herb de provence are noticeable.
The wine has a good balance between grip, acidity, and weight that will leave you excited for another sip.
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2018 GIV Petit Verdot
The final wine we are featuring this month is the limited release 2018 GIV Petit Verdot.
This wine is restrained for petit verdot and features a lower alcohol level that allows it to pair well with a variety of foods. This wine is inky purple. The initial bouquet is floral with hints of ripe black fruit. As the wine gets oxygen, ripe plum and black cherry fruit are interwoven with intriguing aromas of lilac, sage, and toasted oak.
The wine has lots of supple tannins and understated softness that combine for a luscious but clean finish.
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Written by Tasting Room Manager, Tess Jonson |
GIV WINE FAMILY
(3 bottles, quarterly shipments, 15% discount on GIV and Bridgehead)
It’s our anniversary... can you believe it?! GIV has been open for 5 years! 5 years of parties,5 years of After Dark, 5 years of wine, and 5 years of wine club!
May’s shipment is upon us! We are so very excited to finally release and share the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc with everyone as well as the 2020 Vin Gris and the Limited Edition 2018 Petit Verdot.
You can stop by the winery Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday from 10am-5pm to pick up your wine OR you could RSVP to our 2021 spring pick-up party. Two birds, one stone!
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RESERVE CLUB
(2 bottles, biannual shipments, 20% discount on Salman Family Reserve)
Finally time for the Reserve Club! GIV is very excited to release our very first SFR 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon along with the SFR 2018 Chenin Blanc.
These wines have been charged and are ready for pick up.
You can pick-up your shipment Friday-Monday, 10-5pm OR you could RSVP to the 2021 spring pick-up party. There will be something special for all reserve members who attend.
See you there!!
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